Himalayan War
The Himalayan War (7th June 2034 – 1st January 2037), was the final conflict in the Sino-Indian Proxy War and the only conflict in which Chinese and Indian forces directly fought since the 1962 Sino-Indian conflict. The war was fought for the domination of the Himalayan region and marked the end of the Insurgency in North East India. Timeline Bhutanese Civil War Capitalising on the chaos and general discontent towards the Bhutanese government and monarchy in the wake of the 2032 Bhutan Earthquake, the Chinese backed Maoist insurgent group, the Bhutanese People's Liberation Army (BPLU), took control of Lhuntse and the surrounding area, declaring the People's Republic of Bhutan. With Chinese military advisement the Insurgents began advancing towards the capital, capturing Jakar on the 21st February 2036. Under the request of the Bhutanese government, India joined the war on the 28th February 2035 sending 48,000 'Peacekeeping Forces' to Thimphu. One week later the Indian-Bhutanese forces began the Lung Chen to push the Insurgents out of Bhutan. The outnumbered insurgents resorted to guerrilla tactics to delay the allied forces, requesting direct aid from China and Nepal. On the 3rd of March, a coalition of China, Nepal, Pakistan and Myanmar issued a joint ultimatum to India requesting the withdrawal of their forces from Bhutan. The Indian government issued no response, so on the 11th March a Sino-Nepalese task force entered Bhutan. With aid from the BPLA the Sino-Nepalese expeditionary forces recaptured much of the land lost during the Lung Chen offensive pushing the Indians and Loyalists out of Punakha district in July 2035. In October a stalemate was reached with Maoist forces less then 10km from Thimphu, with both sides were unwilling to further escalate the conflict due to the threat of a nuclear confrontation Indian Invasion of Nepal The war however put a strain on Nepalese military resources leaving much of Nepal's border with India relatively poorly defended. Hoping for a swift victory and end to the war by capturing the Nepalese capital Kathmandu, the Ambala II Indian Strike Corps crossed over the border into the Chitwan National Park on the 19th Novermber. The 3rd Nepali Combat Division, comprising of under 16,000 Soldiers to the Indian's 95,000 was forced to retreat, under heavy losses, to Makwanpur District where they were able to slow the Indian advance using both the mountainous terrain as well as local communist militias. With the relocation of 3 Nepali Combat Divisions to Nepal as well as 2 PLA brigades to Makwanpur District the advance was halted. The economic strain on India was starting to show. Their GDP growth in 2035 (2.9%) hit its lowest point since 1991. In early 2036 peace demonstrations, organised by the opposition Indian National Congress broke out across India demanding an end to Indian involvement in the war. The PLA was held back, waiting for India to exit the war before launching an offensive in Bhutan. Escalation of the Conflict in India Taking advantage of India's weakened state several dormant Indian insurgent groups, including the newly formed United Communist Party of India (UCPI) and the NSCN, broke their respective ceasefires with India in the March 2036. Against the wishes of China the Myanmar based NSCN entered Nagaland province of India with over 12,000 Soldiers, capturing Ashu Igha and declaring the Socialist Republic of Naglim. This combined with a number of communist terror attacks on Indian government and military installations boosted both public and government support for the war as it was now an internal affair. Multiple separatist groups, both in northeast India and Kashmir would come to prominence during this time, with many warlords and self proclaimed freedom fighters attempting to declare independence from the weakened India. Not wanting to loose this strategically vital region, the Indian military would deploy a further 100,000 reserves in Assam alone, although many were poorly equipped and trained. The build up of forces on the Pakistani border was not taken well by it’s government. Angered by both India’s annexation of Bangladesh as well as attacks on Muslims within Kashmir, Pakistan’s military would enter Indian controlled Kashmir on the 5th of May, triggering one of the most bloody conflicts of the war. Chinese Offensive By October 2036, With no clear end in sight and the Chinese economy beginning to fail, a plan, known as the Zangnan Offensive was devised by the People's Liberation Army to swiftly end the war. The 1st, 3rd and 6th Light Tank Brigades, reinforced with over 352,000 ground forces and 5,621 fighters would launch a vast offensive on into Assam. The objective was to cut off and encircle the 561,000 strong Indian force in the mountainous region. Without supplies and and under constant attack by Guerrilla forces, India would be forced to accept peace. On the 12th December the plan was carried out. The offensive would last for 6 days and by the 19th the Third Indian army, constituting 620,000 forces had been encircled. Casualties for China were minimal, while India had lost over 21,000 forces in under a week. The conflict demonstrated why a modern specialised military is so essential in modern warfare. The strength of the PLA also shocked many western military officials and analysts alike, and lead to a drastic increase in the military budget of both the US and EU. While some in the commanders in the PLA wished to continue the offensive, the CPC had directly ordered the PLA to not “Further escalate the conflict and encourage the interference of foreign powers”. In an interview General Hao Liuxian stated “Beating the India militarily would not have been particularly challenging. Maintaining control would both have been both impossible and unnecessary.” Peace On the 27th December India would agree to a ceasefire, and on the 1st of January 2037 would sign a Treaty of Peace officially ending all hostilities in the region. Aftermath Both China and India would invest large amounts of money into the regions that had been damaged by the conflict. China would also go onto aid India’s clean up of serveral rebel and insurgent groups considered extreme. In a speech by Wu Yazhu, the President would state “We (China) view the both this war and our conflict with India over the past decade as a massive political blunder. Both countries have suffered greatly as a result of our conflict. We must come together in solidarity and overcome our differences if we are to build a greater future.” His sentiment is often echoed by both Chinese and Indian officials alike. India would rejoin as a observer to the Shanghai Pact in 2039 with China even supporting its full membership in 2040. Category:China Category:India Category:Bhutan Category:Nepal Category:Myanmar Category:Pakistan Category:Conflicts Category:Civil Wars Category:Sino-Indian Proxy War